Campaigns Enter Texting Era With a Plea: Will U Vote 4 Me 🙏 ?

Sections SEARCH Skip to content Skip to site index Technology Subscribe Log In Subscribe Log In Today’s Paper Advertisement Supported by ByKevin Roose Aug. 1, 2018 Marla Hohner was at home in Dallas when a text message arrived from an unfamiliar number. “Hi Marla,” it read. “This is Nate volunteering w/ Beto For Texas. Beto O’Rourke is running for Senate to represent Texans statewide, not special interest megadonors. And unlike Ted Cruz, Beto doesn’t take any money from PACs. Can we count on your vote?” Ms. Hohner, a senior adviser for a financial firm, was puzzled. She had heard of Mr. O’Rourke, a Democrat running against Mr. Cruz in November. But she had never volunteered for his campaign, given him money or agreed to be contacted by his volunteers. “It felt like a real invasion,” she said. “My first reaction was, who is this? How do they know my name? And how did they get my cellphone number?” Welcome to the age of the political mass-text. Candidates in this year’s midterm elections are still sending mailers, putting ads on TV and knocking on doors to drum up support. But they’ve added a new, hard-to-ignore tool to their arsenal: personalized text messages sent to voters’ phones. In a mobile-first age when TV ads are skipped and email inboxes automatically filter out junk and promotions, it’s not surprising that campaigns are desperate for a tool that can reliably get voters’ attention. What is surprising is how influential the lowly SMS text message,… [Read full story]